Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
by TheSpazChik
Summary: When Ben is sent on his first solo mission, things don't go as planned and his target gets away. Refusing to admit he needs help from the hunter siblings, he acquires the help of a woman who people fear is a dark witch. They say if you need someone found, she'll track them down. She's a Jack of all Trades for the right price, but if you double cross her, she'll steal your face.
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks for clicking on this story, I hope you like it :)**

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"Are you sure about this?" Asked a now older Hansel, while he walked with Ben and his sister outside to the entrance of the village they were currently staying at."This one could be tricky."

"I'm 25." Ben defended." I'v done my training and research."

"Just be safe." Gretel smiled." I believe congratulations are in order since this is your first time hunting alone."

"No." Hansel countered." It doesn't count until he actually kills her."He turned back to Ben." Make sure you bring her head."

Nodding, Ben began his walking. It wasn't long before he was deep in the woods. It would take at least a day and a half to make it to a cottage deep within the tress. A witch's cottage.

He was nervous, but determined. For years he coveted the two older hunter's approval. As a test for finally convincing Hansel he was ready, the man decided to send him to take care of this village's problem.

The accused was apparently being convicted of kidnapping livestock in the area to sacrifice to her "satanic lord" as the men in charge like to say. They hired Hansel and Gretel to take care of her because they feared she would move onto human sacrifices soon.

Stopping to pull out the map, he realized that he was supposed to go left instead of crossing the bridge on the right and turned to go back and go the right direction.

Soon he stopped in a small clearing and started a fire. It was close to getting dark and he was tired from all the walking, so he made a small pallet by the flames to keep warm and safe while he slept.

The adrenaline he had coursing through him earlier was now down to a simmer. He felt a bit scared now that he was on his own. Before, all he had to worry about was backing up the siblings or Edward if he was needed, but most of the time he was just the one who stood on the sidelines.

So he kept asking hisself; was he cut out to be a hunter on his own?

:/:/:

He awoke to the blinding glare of the sun and quickly packed his things. Onwards he went, and surprisingly, without worry, made it to the small, deceiving cottage.

Swallowing hard, he pulled out his crossbow and inched towards the entrance. He tried his hardest to stay quiet, cursing the creaky boards that made faint noises as he crept in.

It was the usual interior look for a dark witch. Dark, foul smelling. There was a large cauldron on the fire in the far corner, candles burning everywhere and various small, dead animals hung from the ceiling. Turning, Ben spotted a set of stairs and made his way up.

He wrinkled his nose at the growing strength of the smell. It must be the rot that covers all dark witches. He reached the top stair and slowly started down the hall.

"Help me!" He heard.

He turned to the first room to see a small child, trapped in a cage. surprised, he rushed to the little girl and tried to cut an opening in the vines.

"What do we have here?" Came a cackle.

Ben suddenly turned around to see the grotesque being. Immediately, he started shooting his her out into the hall, he managed to get her once in the side. But she ran forward as quick as a bullet and somehow kicked Ben in the stomach.

He fell to the ground and a second later he was struggling to get the witch off of him. She was trying to stab him with an arrow he had shot at her. He brought his leg up and flipped her forward onto her back and quickly got up. He went to pull out his dagger but it was missing from it's sheath. He frantically looked around for it until he saw it in the wrinkly hand of the witch who was also now on her feet.

"Im gonna carve that pretty face off." She growled, sardonically.

She lunged forward, slashing at him as he jumped backwards and dodged it till she cornered him. She swung the blade down, trying to sheath it in his heart, but he tried pushing it back by grabbing both her wrist with one hand each.

He thought back to what Hansel had taught him and got an idea. He put his foot around he ankle and tripped her. However, she took him with he as she toppled down the stairs.

After struggling, Ben managed to push on the arrow in her side and she shrieked. She grabbed his head by his hair and smacked it against the ground.

He grabbed the arrow again and this time pulled it out. Since she was now distracted for a second, he pushed her off and rushed to his knife.

Grabbing it, he turned to see she was gone. He heard a scream upstairs and ran up to see the witch had grabbed the child and was now about to run for it on her broom. Ben ran towards as she blasted the boarded window open with her wand and went to send a blue light his way but he dodged it and managed to grab onto the back of the broom as it tried to carry the witch and child through the opening.

"Grab my arm!" He instructed and landed the child in a tug-o-war. He pulled on her arm with all his strength, while keeping his feet on both sides of the opening. Fortunately for him, the witch's grip on the girl loosened and he managed to get his arm around her torso and yanked her from the witches grasp, sending the hag into the air outside now that he wasn't holding her back.

"Are you ok?" He asked the little girl, as he watched the witch fly away.

The little girl nodded. He sighed and helped her up.

"Whats your name?" He asked.

"Mina." She answered.

"Well Mina, I'm Ben. Lets get you out of here."

He felt relieved that he had saved the girl, but how was he going to tell Hansel and Gretel he let her get away?

**Well thats end of chapter one I know its short but bear with me:) Thanks again for reading. Please grace me with your opinion and please alert if you liked it and want to read more. Again, i really appreciate it.:)**

**ThespazChik **


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about the last chapter, I have fixed Mina's name. I forgot that it was Hansel's deceased love's name and so I changed the little girl's name. **

**And my mom actually gave me some good ideas for the story so she gets credit too. I only own Azazel, Rachel, and all the other characters i made up,and the plot:)**

**thanks to wings of shadow. For faving and alerting, disneychic248c for faving and alerting, and yingyang28 for faving and XxCherryblossomx333 for alerting.:)**

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"Now I can't have anyone knowing that the witch got away." Ben explained to the little girl's mother." Keep Rachel safe, she may still be in danger."

"You brought my daughter back." She said, weeping, holding the little girl in her arms." That is enough for me. I can't thank you enough."

"We'll, this is my first witch hunt by myself and if my mentors found out I made a mistake and lost the target they sent me after, well...I would be in a very bad position." He said." But I'm going back out there. I'm going to find that witch and I will kill her."

With tears of joy still in her eyes, the woman smiled and nodded.

Ben tried to smile back, but he had an uneasy feeling in his gut.

./././

After leaving the Mother to tend to her child, Ben went to the blacksmith to buy some more daggers. He wanted to have more on his person in case he had a repeat of the day's earlier events.

Once he had packed his new weapons, he headed for the market to buy some more fruit.

While staring at some delicious looking red apples, he over heard two women at the vender to his right, picking up some cabbage and bread.

"Did you hear Maeve's daughter has returned?" The blonde one whispered.

"Rachel?" The brunette asked.

That was quick Ben thought to himself. Its only been about 3 hours.

"Yes." The blonde replied." But the woman wont say how she got her back."

"Think she hired someone?"

"Possibly."

"Maybe she went to Azazel for her daughter back." The Brunette snickered." And is too ashamed to admit it. Must have costed her all her money."

The blonde scoffed. "The woman can be strong-headed sometimes but she isn't foolish enough to venture into The Black Forest. Besides, no one knows if the witch is real. All those legends and stories, its hard to believe is anything more than just a fairytale to keep little ones in line."

The two women stopped their clucking and noticed Ben was staring.

"Forgive me, ladies." He bowed his head.

The two women frowned at him and walked away, leaving him curious.

"Who were they talking about just now? If you don't mind me asking." Ben asked the man behind the apple stand.

"So you want to know about Azazel, huh?"

"Yes, who is she?"

"Azazel is a ...Jack-of-all-trades, I guess you could say. Need someone found, and she'll hunt them down, need a potion or elixir, and she'll brew with the finest ingredients."

"So she is a witch?" Ben asked.

"Of course she is!" Sneered the elderly man behind the cabbage and bread stand." The woman stole my father's face long ago when I was just a boy."

"Thats Henry and I'm Samuel. "Said the apple vender.

"Ben." He shook Samuel's hand.

"Some say she is a witch." Samuel mused." some say she is just a human trying to practice the dark arts. Legend says she was cursed by a witch."

"Cursed?"

"Her right eye." He said pointing at his." Its how she steals people's faces."

"But she'd be willing to help me find someone?"

"Go to The Black Forest and find The Dead Tree. It's in the middle of a cleaning at the center of the forest. Tie an apple in a handkerchief, place it in the hole of the tree, and she will appear at midnight." He tossed Ben an apple.

"How do I know she is real?"

"Oh, she's real boy." Henry said." You don't want to go walking around in those woods, though. She'll find ya...and steal your face too."

"Why an apple?"

"Its a form of offering." Samuel answered." She loves apples."

Ben paid for the apple and thought deeply as he walked away, starting his mission to find this Azazel and hopefully the witch that got away.

**Thanks for reading chapter two im just gonna stop here. I know its short but i hope you still like it. Ill admit im havin a hard time with this story but if you have any questions or critiques just review or pm me:)**

**TheSpazChik**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks, guys, for waiting patiently. Just got a laptop so the stories might come faster now since I don't have to type on my cell phone anymore. thanks to all that have reviewed, alerted, or favorited. I will mention you all next chapter. please enjoy**

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Hesitantly, Ben walked through the dark forest. he told himself many times that this was a stupid and crazy idea. this woman might not even exist, and he hoped if she _was_ real, he would have enough coin to get her attention and cooperation. Just a little further and he would be right smack in the middle of the eerily, quiet place.

He could already see the moon shining through the trees before he made it to the clearing, and right before him he saw a barren tree with a large, visible hole in the trunk. if he was correct, midnight would be just minutes away and he prayed this Azazel would actually show up. he wrapped the apple into the handkerchief and placed it into the hole. there he sat and waited.

Ten minutes passed but it seemed like years. He scolded his self and stood to retrieve the apple and get back to his unsuccessful witch hunt, when he heard the caw of a crow. his quickly looked up and saw the bird. it was perched on the lowest branch and almost directly above him. It cawed at him once more before flittering it's wings and disappearing into the hole of the tree trunk and reappeared a second later to reveal it had the handkerchief in its beak and flew away.

"Hey, stupid bird!" He shouted." That's my apple!"

He sighed and watched the bird disappear through the trees with his fruit and cloth. It was official, he was dead. There was no "Azazel" and he was going to have to find that witch himself and probably tell the truth to Hansel an Gretel. he grabbed his pack and turned to go back the direction to the last town he saw earlier.

When he turned, he heard the sound of the crow's caw again, mixed with faint noises that sounded like groans or choking noises. Alarmed, he turned, dropping his pack, and ran towards the noise but slowed to a slow creep when he realized the danger ahead.

As he peered through the thick branches, he found what he was looking for. From what Ben could make out in the moonlight, a cloaked figure was holding a man in the air with one hand. Slender fingers were wrapped tightly around the man's neck. He quickly tried to think of a plan to save the poor man, but the sound of a crow stopped him. He looked to the figure's shoulder to see the crow who stole his stuff. it dropped the apple into the free hand of the cloaked figure, and a velvet, yet menacing female voice spoke.

"What have we hear?" She sounded amused." Another client?"

She then focused all her attention on the man again and squeezed tighter on the man's neck.

"Fredrick, my dear." She continued, sweetly." I'm afraid I now have less time to deal with you. You promised the rest of the coin after I got you the ingredients. Do you know how hard it is to find finely ground bone meal? I had to pull many strings to get this much of it and you go and think that you can skip out on our arrangement? give me the rest of what you owe me or I'll take those pretty green eyes."

the man struggled but reached into his pocket and held out a coin purse. She immediately dropped the man and snatched the coin purse from where he dropped it on the ground.

Ben gulped subconsciously and quickly turned back and ran. This was bad! No way could he strike a deal with this woman without the fear of getting his throat cut in his sleep or when no one was around to see.

When he returned to The Dead Tree to retrieve his pack and high-tail it out of here, he found himself looking up to see the same cloaked figure sitting on a low branch in the tree.

"I hear you are missing a witch." The voice said.

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**I hope now the story can finally kick start into the action I had planned. please review if you want and tell me what you think or if you have any questions. **

**TheSpazChik**


	4. Chapter 4

**wow. Thanks guys, I didn't expect that much feedback in just one day. I know that the chapters are short but like I said in the previous chapter, the updates should be faster. a big thank you to...**

_**those who reviewed:**_

Kira Tsumi

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_**those who alerted:**_

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**thank you all and I hope this chapter is good. I was iffy on their meeting but it had to happen so this is what im going with for now. enjoy:)**

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Ben could hear the amusement dripping from her statement and the chuckle that followed. He swallowed and took a deep breath.

"How did you know?" He asked, feeling kind of uneasy.

"You've brought my favorite kind of apple." She said, ignoring his question as she lifted the apple her face to smell it.

Ben watched her smile at it fondly before she stored it in her robe and dropped from the branch. She brought her arms up and took off her hood. He noticed that she had dark hair that looked almost blood red in the moonlight, her right eye was slightly cover by her hair but her straight locks couldn't hid the whole half of her face. it seemed darker, like it was burnt. He didn't want to piss her off, so he didn't ask about her face.

"Her name is rumored to be something like Myrtle." He told her, trying to sound more serious and less nervous.

"What is her crime?" Azazel asked, now just as serious as he was. She lifted her face to look down on him like he was lower than she. Azazel may have been a every-man-for-himself-type of woman, but she was still a witch and didn't like the stereotype that came with the term.

"The stealing of cattle and just recently a young girl. I was lucky enough to find her in time and save her but the damn thing got away from me."

"Did she now?" The mockingly amused tone now returned to her words." My heart aches for the poor lass."

"Will you help me?" He asked.

" My dear boy, the question is not my willingness to help, but your ability to afford my services."

He walked to his pack and pulled out a coin purse with at least 300 gold in it.

"300 now and 300 later." He said with as much confidence as he could muster.

She slowly started to circle him, looking him up, down, and all around till she stopped in front of him. she held out her hand and he placed the purse in her palm.

"Your apple made me curious." She said, a smiling slowly forming on her lips." But a witch hunter, here to ask for help in his hunt. You now have my attention."

She turned and started to walk.

"So it's a deal?" He called after her, grabbing his pack.

She sighed and stopped.

"No." She called over her shoulder." I just accepted your payment and made up all that talk about your problem possibly being the funniest situation I'V ever heard of."

"So that's a..."He started, but she cut him off.

"Yes, yes." She said, growing impatient and turned to him with an eerie gleam in her eyes. " Now, show me her house."

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**thanks so much guys please review if you like and if you have any questions just review or pm me:)**

**TheSpazChik**


	5. Chapter 5

**I thought long and hard about this chapter so that is why it took me so long to update, sorry again, but I decided to make this chapter about their trip to the witches house and possible make the next one about their investigations but it depends. I might just add the two together. but lets just start the chapter and see how it goes:)**

**Thanks to...**

**Kira Tsumi for reviewing**

**booklover1598 for reviewing**

"I said 'stop!'" Azazel shouted, bringing Ben from his thoughts.

"Sorry, what?"

"The tapping!" She glared." Its annoying."

Ben seized the tapping of his hand on his satchel and awkwardly held his hands at his sides.

"How much longer?" She asked, already unfolding the map.

"Hey, how did you get that from my pack?" He asked, confused.

"I asked for it 10 minutes ago." She replied, not looking away from the map." You weren't paying attention so I got it out myself. You should really make sure you don't space out like that. I could have easily taken the other 300 coin and left you all by your lonesome."

Ben mentally scolded his self, knowing she was right. He just didn't know what was wrong. He tried to ignore all the feelings that bugged him relentlessly, but there was apparently no way he could stay focused on his current mission. there was just too much doubt weighing him down.

"Lucky for you." She continued." I stick to my deals."

"So you say." He said sarcastically.

She shook her head and glanced at him. "That would be bad for business."

"Here, let me see it." He held his hand out to her.

"No."

"But you don't even know where we are going."

"You said it was a day's travel to the village you came from and about 4 hours to the witch's cottage from there. that means it somewhere around Pine Grove, correct?"

Ben stayed silent for a second. "You're good."

"I know." She flashed him a brief smile and folded the map back up and handed it to him.

The two walked in silence for a while after that. Every now and then would briefly glance at each other and look away just as fast. the quiet tension was driving Ben crazy!

"So..." Ben said awkwardly." What can you tell me about yourself?"

"I could tell you all about myself." She replied matter-of-factly."But I won't."

"Okay, well I'm." He started.

"I don't care." She interrupted him.

"Okay." He repeated and stopped talking, once again leaving the two in unbearable silence.

**(three hours later...)**

"We've walked for hours." Ben observed." And its getting dark. Let's stop for the night."

Azazel rolled her eyes.

"And you call yourself a hunter." She complained." Very well."

The two stopped and found a nice spot not far from the trail and started a fire. Ben pulled out some pieces of dry deer meat and handed some to Azazel. She nodded and took them. they silently eat and got ready to sleep. While Ben pulled out a blanket to lay on, he noticed that Azazel just sat up against a nearby tree. Her eyes had already closed and the more he watched her, the more her breath seemed to elevate.

When he was totally sure she was asleep, he finally gave into his curiosity. He crept up to her and delicately moved the hair that always covered the right side of her face. The dark part. The part that he couldn't figure out. It didn't look like the usually rot that set in on dark witches, and she didn't smell bad. She actually smelt of apples and pine. He slowly touched her right cheek lightly and jumped back.

it was smooth! The eerily darkness was as smooth as the other part of her face looked. what kind of rot was this? was it even rot?

Checking to see if she was still asleep, he then moved over to his side of the fire and lied down with his back facing her.

When Azazel was sure he had finally fallen asleep, her eyes opened and she touched her cheek where he had felt her skin. That's what woke her. He may have been an idiot, but he had guts.

She sighed and let herself fall back asleep.

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**so I decided to just do the house scene next chapter. I wanted to stop while I still felt good about this one. Thanks again for all the love and support you guys have given me. I really appreciate it. so review if you want and tell me your thoughts on Ben's sudden curiosity and why Azazel even let him get that far. until next time:)**

**TheSpazChik**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to...**

**Kira Tsumi for reviewing**

**booklover1598 for reviewing**

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It wasn't long before the two woke to rays of the rising sun. They quickly packed their things and walked back to the trail.

"We are 2 hours away from the village." Ben said, looking over the map." To get to Pine Grove, we should go almost around the village to about Northeast, so we should turn right when the path splits into two right here."

He tried to show her what he meant but she kept on walking, never looking anywhere but forward. After a minute she finally spoke quietly. "Very well."

Once again, the two wound up in one of their Silence Sessions. He would say something and she would nod or ignore him. He didn't know if something was off with her or if this was her normal morning mood, but she was a lot quieter than when he first met her. He summoned all his courage to rush and stop in front of her, earning him a glare.

"Look, I don't know if I did something or what, but we have to learn to communicate." He said.

"Alright, 'communicate' this." She pulled her right arm back and her fist surged forward, connecting with his jaw.

As he fell to the ground, he looked up to see her now looking at him with a darker stare.

"Oh don't give me that look." She kept her eyes narrow." You touched me without my permission. its only fair I get to do the same to you."

He quickly stood, not being able to look her in the eyes. "I'm sorry, I was just..."

"Curious?" She asked." Everyone always is."

Ben had enough sense to know the right thing to do was to drop whatever he was going to say and just shut up. He internally groaned because was so used to the causal chatter of the Hansel and Gretel and sometimes Edward would say something. But it wasn't like that with Azazel. She didn't like to talk much and when she did it was either to yell at him or to mock him. He couldn't help but wonder what made her like this.

When he was younger, he wanted nothing more to become like the two hunters. He too wanted gain courage and save innocent people from evil forces, yet now he has seen more and has absorbed so much from his past experiences in the field. Hunting witches and other creatures turned out differently than he had hoped. Yes you get to save people, but with every kill, Ben feared he would either die weak, or live long enough to become a monster himself. was that what had happened to this woman?

**(4 hours later...)**

When they made it to the familiar cottage, Azazel assured the weary hunter that they were alone. No witch was dumb enough to come back to a revealed place, even if there was things she needed. A smart witch would know how to get what she needed other ways and from other sources.

"Wait here." She instructed." I don't want you mucking anything up."

Azazel started walking around the first level of the house, inhaling now and then. Ben watched her as she picked up things, like books or jars, and would smell them. He wrinkled his nose, the house stunk just as bad as it did a few days ago.

"You said she had taken a girl?" Azazel asked over her shoulder.

"Yes." Ben replied." She."

"How long was she here?" She asked, interrupting him.

Ben rolled his eyes and answered. " From what the girl and mother could recall it was around 2 weeks."

"So it was just you, the girl, and the witch?"

"yes."

Ben glanced around and saw many familiar things.

"I smell more than three people." She said." There have been more humans here."

"Before or after I saved Rachel?"

"Hard to say with the smell of rot almost masking all the others. It can go for weeks before finally clearing out, but then the less dominant smells would have already gone."

"Lets go search upstairs." He suggested.

She nodded and followed him up the creaky stairs to the second level where the small hall held three rooms. One room was where the girl was kept. The next room revealed to contain a small bed and a bookcase holding many books and jars like the one downstairs. after confirming that there was nothing special in that room, they went for the third and last door. When Ben pushed the door open he had to turn away, fighting the urge to gag. there was blood, bones, and bodies everywhere. large chests stacked in the far left corner by the small pile of bodies. The candles' flickering lights made everything easy to see. The blood smeared walls, the horror-struck expressions on the deceased. Azazel walked forward to inspect the decomposing bodies and noticed they all looked bruised and scarred. She then moved on to the chests. When she opened them, she found weapons and armor.

"Why would...why would a witch be collecting...?" She thought allowed, then it hit her." Ben!"

"What?" He asked, still looking away from the room.

"The girl wouldn't have been kept alive for so long, she had a purpose here for something."

"Please don't tell me she was trying to do the blood moon ritual." Ben complained.

"No, she wasn't trying to collect children, she was using the girl to lure these humans here. She was collecting hunters, witch hunters."

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**Thanks for reading and like always reviews are much appreciated. why not tell me what you think about their sudden discovery? until next time:)**

**TheSpazChik**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks to...**

**booklover1598 for reviewing**

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"Ben you need to take me to this little girl you were telling me about. she may know or heard something while she was being held captive."

Ben nodded and the two started for the stairs.

"So this is the place." Came a voice from outside. It sounded like middle-aged man's voice.

"That sounded like Hansel." Ben whispered.

Azazel stood still as Ben silently walked to a half-broken window and peered out. two stories down he saw the familiar hunters and the burly Edward not too far behind. They weren't a long ways off.

"Shit!" He hissed." They can't see me! They can't know that I lost the witch."

Azazel's eyes widened and so did the grin on her face.

"Big bad hunter is just some amateur punk? oh, that explains so much!" She nearly squealed with laughter.

"Shh!" He hissed. "They are coming closer. God! What am I going to do?"

She thought for a second and ran back to the third room at the end of the hall and started going through the chests of armor and weapons.

"What are you doing?" Ben asked as he watched her throw off her robe to show she was wearing clothes similar to a witch hunter's attire. She grabbed a pair of leather gloves and put them on along with a satchel she found on a table that had a dagger in it and a couple of pieces of papers that she threw out.

She turned to Ben who was staring with his mouth slightly hung open.

"Stop staring and go watch the window."

When Azazel felt sure she was ready she shook her head slightly and let her hair change from dark red to a light brown. She rain her hands lightly down her face to change her complexion and eye color. It was one of the perks that came with her curse. She took a deep breath and pulled the dagger from the satchel and plunged it into her leg, carefully avoiding any artery. She let out a pained grunt and quickly limped from the room.

"Hey, they are about to walk in." Ben warned when he turned to see her." What the hell?"

He ran to her helped her stay on her feet. "Are you ok? What is your name? Hey, Azazel." He called to the room.

"Idiot, I 'am Azazel!"

"What?" He asked confused." You're a Grand Witch?"

"No, just a trick. Help me to the stairs." She instructed." I'll meet you at the village not far from here. That's where the girl is, right?"

He nodded as he helped her over to the stairs.

"What are you planning?" He asked, stopping by the stairs.

"Don't worry about me, I'm tougher than a normal human so whatever I do next I want you to run for it out the back window and don't stop until you get to that village." She said grabbing his collar with both hands.

"What are you going to do?" He asked horrified.

She just laughed and asked. "Kiss for good luck?"

"What?"

She pulled him towards her and kissed him briefly.

"You are so cute!" She teased and pushed away. "Now go, and don't turn back for anything."

She watched him run and heard the door creak open.

"This is going to be fun." She smiled and let herself fall backwards down the stairs with a scream that was filled halfway with excitement and the other half false terror.

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**I know this one was kinda shorter than usual but there is surely more to come. why not review and tell me how insane you think this girl is and how Hansel and Gretel will react to a hurt "hunter" literally falling at their feet? until next time:)**

**TheSpazChik**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to...**

**booklover1598 for reviewing**

**ILoveThee for reviewing**

**Kira Tsumi for reviewing**

**and as always I hope you like this chapter and enjoy:)**

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Azazel felt a little sore but she wasn't that beat up. The knife embedded in her leg was throbbing though. She lied there at the foot of the stairs, moaning occasionally as if she was in more pain than she actually was.

"Who are you?" She peered through half-closed eyes up to see a blonde man pointing a gun at her.

"Forget me...the girl, save the girl!" She whimpered.

"Who are you?" He repeated, handing his gun to a woman with long black hair and kneeled to Azazel." What girl?"

"My name...is Amelia." Azazel lied.

"Amelia, my name is Gretel and this is my brother Hansel." Gretel said, kneeling to her as well." What girl are you talking about?"

Hansel went to help her up but when he grabbed her forearm she pulled back and hissed in pain so he carefully looked her over.

"Your shoulder is dislocated and you got a pretty good size dagger in your leg. damn, how long do you think it is?" He asked looking at his sister." 3 or 4 inches deep?"

Azazel nearly laughed, the fall did more damage than she had expected.

"On the count of three." Hansel said and Azazel nodded." One..."

He put a hand on her chest and wrenched her arm, popping it back into place. Azazel let out an involuntary yelp and cringed at the soreness. He then gripped the handle of the knife and pulled it out, quickly wrapping her leg with a long piece of cloth. Hansel put a hand on her back and the other under her legs and picked her up. He brought her to a chair and sat her down.

"Amelia, we are looking for someone." Gretel said." His name is Ben, he is a hunter like us."

"Yes, I met him on the road here, I was hired by a woman at the village near here to save her daughter. When we met we decided that two was better than one. He goes for the witch and I save the girl but..."

"But what?" Hansel asked." Where is Ben and the girl? Where is the witch?"

"I don't know, I just remember waking up in the room upstairs." Azazel/Amelia's eyes started to tear up." I'm just starting out as a hunter, nothing could prepare me for what's up there."

The false hunter began to sob. Hansel nodded to his sister who nodded back and went to investigate upstairs while Hansel stayed with the crying girl.

"How long have you been hunting?" He asked, trying to calm her down and get her back to talking.

"About three months." She replied, her sobs dying down." My father was a hunter and he taught me everything he knew. I'm such a failure."

"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself." He said pouring water onto a rag and wiping the dust and tears from her face.

"Hansel!" He heard his sister call.

Azazel watched him rush upstairs and her sad expression immediately went to an amused look.

"Damn he is good looking." She whispered to herself." So this is the famous Hansel and Gretel."

Hansel and his sister walked back down after witnessing the Bloodied Room of Death, he called it. Amelia was lucky to be alive and she looked so young and helpless -looking, surely not cut out for her dream of being a hunter. He had seen many horrible things, yet he grew up with the killing and hunting, she didn't.

"Did you see them?" Azazel was now back to crying." When I first woke up in that room, I thought I was in Hell. I tried to get down here the best I could, to get away from the suffocating room."

"Amelia, calm down." Gretel assured." You are fine now. Do you think you can walk?"

Azazel stood unsteadily but nearly fell from the sharp pain in her leg.

"It hurts!" She exaggerated.

"Here, Edward can carry you." She turned to Hansel." Let's so back to that village we saw on the way. its 4 hours away but it's the closest. "

Hansel nodded and Helped Azazel/Amelia out to Edward. Azazel took one look and nearly gasped.

_shit! They have fucking Troll_ she thought to herself.

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**Well now, looks like Azazel may have teeny tiny flaw in her little charade. how do you think things will turn out? will she make it to the village in time to flee the sibling and their troll or do you think Edward will rat her out. Trolls serve witches so it could go multiple ways. thanks again for reading. if you have any questions just review or pm me. until next time:)**

**TheSpazChik**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks to** **the two guests who reviewed.:) enjoy**

**:-: - means a bit of a time skip.**

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Azazel quietly brooded while being carried by the silent troll. It had been nearly three and a half hours and no one had said a thing, so she kept her head down and worked more on her false story.

"How you doing so far?" Hansel asked over his shoulder.

"A little sore." She answered." I'm lucky you three showed when you did."

"Only about half an hour to go." Gretel said." We should be getting close to the outskirts any minute now."

Azazel glanced up at Edward." Edward, was it? I want to thank you again. Your ams must be awfully tired."

"No." The burly troll replied.

Azazel had an feeling he already knew what she was, but she was still trying to figure out why he hadn't said anything if he knew she was a witch.

"It's a real honor to meet you two." Azazel continued her praising." I'v heard so much. Without you two, many people wouldn't have the bravery to fight back or have the knowledge that good witches exist. You are legendary."

"Please don't get all fangirl on us like Ben did in the beginning." Hansel whined, looking back at her.

She smiled and acted like she was turning a key on her lip and threw it over her shoulder.

The four kept forward once again in silence and Azazel went back to looking down.

She almost laughed out loud. She could so see Ben being a fangirl.

**-1/2 hour later-**

"How are you feeling, Amelia?"

"Much better." Azazel smiled at the medicine man and took the herbal tea he offered.

"You're lucky the knife didn't knick an artery. Drink this and get some rest. You should be out of here in a day or two. I'll go tell your friends how your doing.

"Thank you." She brought the cup to her lips.

She watched as he left the room and waited till he closed the door before she spit out the tea, sat it down on the table beside her, and threw off the covers.

"God, I thought my face was gonna go numb with all the smiling." She groaned as she stood and gathered her things.

"Azazel." She heard voice and knocking on the window.

She limped over to the window.

"Ben?"

"It's me, Ben."

She rolled her eyes and opened the hatch.

Ben watched her open the hatch and didn't see the pack coming at him till it hit him in the face, knocking him down.

He stood and picked up her pack and looked back to the window to see her struggling to climbing out.

"Woah there." He said helping her down.

"Come on, we gotta get to that girl and out of here before your friends find out I'm missing. I'll tell you the cover story on the way."

He nodded and helped her walk.

**:-:**

"My name is Amelia." She told the girl." I need you to tell me all you saw and heard while in that house. I know it's scary but you are safe."

The mother stood in the kitchen with Ben, listening to his explaination on why they were here again.

"S-sometimes I could hear something being dragged down the hall." Rachel said." She would say" I got another one.""

"You didn't hear her mention what she got?"

"No."

Azazel nodded and stood.

"Ben, it's time to go, fangirl. Take me to the tavern outside town."

"Are you sure you can go that far?" He asked, concerned.

"I'm fine." She managed to stand and walk by herself towards the door.

**:-:**

"Now when we go in let me do all the talking." She instructed, putting on her hood and walked in.

The tavern was full of dirty, burly, foul-smelling men with a couple of women. All the chatter and laughing stopped when they noticed Azazel. Ben felt uneasy because they noticed he was with her.

"I thought I told not to step foot in here again, mutt!" shouted the bartender.

Azazel lifted the hood from her head and smirked. Ben noticed she was now back to her original appearance.

"When the hell have I ever listened you, old man?"

"Take your little friend and walk back out that door!"

She narrowed her eyes.

"Make me."

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**lets hope things don't get too ugly. thanks for reading and drop a review if you want if you want to tell me your thoughts or if you have any questions:) thanks again.**

**TheSpazChik**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks to...**

**booklover1598 for reviewing.**

**And Kira Tsumi for reviewing.**

**Sorry its been a while. Staying in an extended stay hotel and just had some heavy snow that caused trees and powerlines to go down so now my laptop wont work with the internet. Have to type on my phone again:( well anyway, enjoy:)**

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"I'll shoot you where you stand." He growled.

"Hey, now!" Ben interjected.

"Sit down!" Azazel commanded, using one hand to push Ben into an empty chair." I got this."

"Not another step, Mutt!"

She spread out her arms, still looking him straight in the eyes.

"Give me your best shot."

Ben had been worried the second they walked in, but now he was scared he was going to have to fight all these people because of Azazel. Nobody moved and the intense silence went on for what seemed like forever, until the bartender threw his head back and laughed.

"Wait, what?" Ben asked, confused.

He turned to see Azazel and everyone else laughing along with the old man.

"What?" He asked again.

"Get your skinny hide over here and give me a hug."

"Hug?" asked her.

"Come on." She rolled her eyes motioning for him to follow her "Ben, this is Marcus, he took me in when I was younger, when I didn't have a home after I..."

The two noticed she trailed off and was now behind the bar, pouring herself a drink.

"Found her playing with my hunting dog, the damn thing isn't good to hunt anymore! Damn girl turned it soft." Marcus teased.

"Yeah, old age had nothing to do with it." Azazel retorted with a smile.

Ben couldn't help but stare at the two. Marcus was nowhere near scared of her, despite her name and reputation. Did that mean that Azazel was different before she became a witch for hire?

"Here." she poured some ale into a cup and handed it to Ben.

He nodded and took it.

"How about you stay here and drink while I go have a chat with Marcus?" Azazel said." We have catching up to do."

"Okay." He nodded again, watching her as she and the old man walked up the steps by the bar counter.

"Are you mad, girl?" Marcus asked once they were behind a closed door.

"Not since I last checked." Azazel replied.

"Of all the things I hear about you, I had hoped this one wasn't true. Is he really a hunter?"

"Yes." She replied." Who'd you hear that from?"

"Samuel." He hesitated.

:.:

while waiting, Ben lightly drank his ale and looked around, trying not to make any eye contact with anyone. He wondered why she was acting nicer than usual. Maybe it's just a girl thing.

:.:

"That damned apple picker needs to keep his nose out of my business before it is no longer his." She hissed." What all does he know? Where is he?"

"Where do you think?"

"Look, the next time you see him..."

She trailed off when she heard footsteps on the stairs and heading their way. There was a knock at the door.

"What?" Marcus called out.

"Hey, it's Samuel, is she here?"

With a glare, Azazel stomped over to the door and threw it open.

"You!" She pointed at him.

"You are here!" He said, pulling her into an unsuspected hug." I've missed you so much! I have good news..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he was being thrown down the stairs. It was only five steps but he still hit his head on the ground.

"Azazel wait!" He started scooting backwards on the ground, holding a hand up as she walked closer and closer.

By now the whole tavern was once again in silence.

Ben noticed it was the guy who told him about Azazel in the first place. What did he do to get her so angry?

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now you nosy bastard!" She told him angrily.

"B-because, those books you left, those journals, Marcus let me read them." He said." And remember Meredith, the woman you wrote about? I found her, she's here in the village. Please, Azazel, you know I love you. That's why I told him about you.." He pointed to Ben." I hoped that you would come back so I could tell you, I found out how to break your curse, she knows how."

"Shut up! Just...shut up!" Azazel shouted.

"Now, now, Azazel." Came an amused voice." Where are your manners.

Ben looked at Azazel and thought he caught a glimpse of fear in her eyes.

She turned around and before her stood someone she wished she never had to lay eyes on again.

"Meredith."

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**cliffhanger. Sorry, but you gotta admit you knew it was coming. Thanks for all the reviews so far and why not tell me your thoughts or questions? Until next time:)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks to all reviewed, my internet is wonky so i couldnt load the names of the people who gave me feedback but i will next time. Again, thanks and enjoy:)**

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"Azazel, my dear, give mother a hug." Meredith smiled, spreading her arms out.

"You're not my mother." Azazel replied calmly.

"I cared for you, I fed you, clothed you and the others. Is that not what a mother does?"

"My mother wasn't a witch, wait, let me rephrase that." Azazel smirked." My mother wasn't a bitch! You couldn't cast a spell if it saved your life."

"Look at you all grown up, and such a sharp tongue."

"Leave, now." Azazel growled.

The flames of all the lanterns flickered as the silence of the room grew more intense. Ben gave a worried glance to Marcus who was already grabbing his gun and proceeded to shout.

"Tavern's closed for the night."

The patrons all stood and slowly cleared the building, knowing something was about to go down.

Ben look from Azazel to Meredith, who was still standing with out-stretched arms. Samuel stood and pleaded with the woman he believed he loved.

"Azazel, please listen to her, she knows of an end to your curse."

"Stay out of this!" Azazel hissed, grabbing his collar as he tried to walk towards her. She turned her head back to Meredith." You heard the owner, Tavern's closed for the night."

"Azazel." She stepped forward, only to nearly trip over a chair that slid out of its place to end up in her way."You know you need my help."

"The day I listen to you will be the day I take my last breath. And I don't see that happening anytime soon."

"You will come around, eventually."

"Never. I can do this on my own."

"Yes, you do quit a job. You can defend yourself, take care of yourself...get your best friend killed."

All the candles went out in flash, covering the five figures in complete darkness.

There was a weird sizzling sound before the room lit up with electricity. It surrounded Azazel like a blanket and moved to her arm that she held out towards the other woman.

"I won't say it again." Azazel said.

The light flew from her hands to Meredith, who was thrown out the opened entrance doors.

"And you!" She turned to Samuel and put her other hand on his face.

"Azazel!" Ben rushed towards her.

"You don't know me, or this face! You don't know anything about this face. You don't love it, you don't know it!"

Ben tried to pry her grip from Samuel but nothing worked.

"What are you doing to him, girl?" Marcus demanded.

"Something I should have done a long time ago." She replied, turning her head towards the two men, revealing her right eye was now bright yellow.

"Azazel, stop!"

She finally let go of Samuel and watched as he fell to the ground. Ben kneeled to check him and looked up at Azazel with a shocked look.

"He'll live, I just removed all his memories of me."

"Do you know what you could have done to him?!"

"There will be some blank spaces but it will eventually fade."

"He loved you, he was trying to help you, what he was right about Meredith?"

"He wasn't, he'll be fine!"

She raised him up and sat him on a nearby chair and laid his head on a table.

"Marcus, tell him he drank too much when he wakes up."

She started for the attic she always had rented out in her name but Ben grabbed her hand.

"You're just gonna walk away?"

"Yeah, that was the plan. Come on, we need to rest here and leave early tomorrow I might have some more leads on Myrtle."

"But what about him and that woman?"

"Gosh, I hadn't thought about that." Azazel answered inoceantly.

"Are you serious?" He asked, still mad and confused." Or are you just mocking me.

"I thought you understand this by now." She rolled her eyes." one, I don't do things without already knowing the consequences, and two, when in doubt I'am _always_ mocking you."

She turned to walk away again.

"He cared for you...and your ripped that away."

Marcus walked up and put his hand on Ben's shoulder.

"Leave it alone, boy."

"No!" Ben protested." Is that what your capable of? You said Meredith wasn't a witch, right? Then you could have killed her. If I walk outside will I find her dead? Is that what you do to those who care for you?"

Azazel turned to him and got right in his face.

"You. Don't. Know. Anything." Whispered angrily and turned back towards the stairs.

"I know it's clear you're a heartless bitch!"

Azazel stopped, her right eye reverted back to their original greenish-blue. She sighed and walked up the stairs that lead to the back room, which lead to the attic, and slammed the door.

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**ouch! Kind a harsh, huh? Who do you think was right and who do you think was wrong? drop a review to tell me your thoughts:) until next time.**

**TheSpazChik**


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